Paul Grammatico is an experienced litigator who has successfully defended clients in a variety of industries—including debt collection, traditional banking, and financial services, among other industries—at both the trial court and appellate level for over a decade as lead counsel.

Prior to entering private practice, Paul attended law school at the Southern California Gould School of law and, prior to that, obtained a B.A. in English from the University of Southern California with minors in philosophy and news media and society. Paul is active in the California Lawyer’s Association and formerly served as the co-chair of the Consumer Financial Services of the Committee of the Business Law Section, which monitors legal developments in the consumer financial services arena and offers thought leadership. When not working, Paul enjoys parenting, reading, and playing tennis.

Admissions

• State Bar of California
• United States Supreme Court
• Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal
• Sixth Circuit Court of Appeal
• U.S. District Courts for the Central, Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts of California, and District of North Dakota
• Eastern District of California Bankruptcy Court

Representative Matters

• Obtained the first- and the second-in-the-nation rulings holding that the TCPA’s restriction on automated and pre-recorded calls—one of the most litigated statutory provisions in history—was unenforceable for a five-year period in two nationwide class actions. These were recognized at the time as two of the most financially impactful district court decisions of all time.
• Successfully defended numerous financial institutions against putative class actions and individual lawsuits asserted under a variety of state and federal statutes, including the TCPA, FDCPA, FCRA, TILA, ADA, state debt collection statutes, and state foreclosure statutes.
• Obtained multiple summary judgments in district court on behalf of global debt collector in TCPA cases on issues of significant import to the debt collection industry.
• Counseled credit unions in a variety of industries regarding litigation avoidance and compliance with regard to the TCPA, FCRA, ADA, and state foreclosure statutes.
• Obtained dismissals at the pleading stage of multiple nationwide class action claims seeking millions of dollars for financial institutions’ alleged assessment of improper overdraft fees.
• Obtained summary judgment in favor of bank in title dispute in which claimant alleged bank’s mortgage interest was subordinated to attempted short sale purchaser.
• Successfully defended financial services institutions in numerous jurisdictions against claims pertaining to their mortgage servicing and property interests, including fraud, interference with contract, unfair competition, wrongful foreclosure, and negligence.

Published Decisions

• Creasy v. Charter Commc’ns, Inc., 489 F. Supp. 3d 499, 507 (E.D. La. 2020)
• Meier v. Allied Interstate, LLC, No. 18-CV-1562-GPC-BGS, 2020 WL 819014 (S.D. Cal. Feb. 19, 2020)
• Lewis v. Beneficial California, Inc., No. 4:17-cv-03575-KAW, 2019 WL 487649 (N.D. Cal. Feb. 7, 2019)
• Borsheim Builders Supply, Inc. v. Merrick Bank Corporation, 387 F. Supp. 3d (D.N.D. 2019)
• Page v. Alliant Credit Union, No. 18-11481 (SDW) (CLW), 2019 WL 3502957 (D. N.J. Aug. 1, 2019)
• Mendoza v Allied Interstate, LLC, No. SACV 17-885 JVS (KESx), 2019 WL 5616961 (C.D. Cal. October 22, 2019)
• Tilley v. Mountain America Federal Credit Union, No. 2:17-cv-01120-JNP-BCW, 2018 WL 4600655 (D. Utah Sept. 25, 2018)
• Kwang Tae Kim v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. CV 16-6028-DMG (ASx), 2017 WL 8186672 (C.D. Cal. July 27, 2017)
• Mendez v. America’s Wholesale Lender dba Countrywide Home Loans, No. 15cv00209JAH (JMA), 2015 WL 11658709 (S.D. Cal. Aug. 18, 2015)
• Cornejo v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, No. CV 11–4119 CAS (VBK), 2011 WL 13220706 (C.D. Cal. Sept. 13, 2011)